Auxiliary wind deflector



May 19, 1953 c. SAURER 9,

AUXILIARY WIND DEFLECTOR Filed De c. 13, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l j Ifi ENTOR. Cur? Sazzrgz E-E- Q I 0 FIVE/-51 May 19, 1953 c. sAuRER AUXILIARY WIND 'DEFLECTOR Filed Dec. 15, 1949 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mag:

INVENTOR.

Curl LTaurez Patented May 19, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AUXILIARY WIND DEFLECTOR Curt Saurer, Detroit, Mich.

Application December 13, 1949, Serial No. 132,651

This invention relates generally to wind defleotors and is especially adapted among other uses for wind deflectors for the rear seat of a motor vehicle having front and rear seats.

An object of this invention is to provide such a wind deflector which may be easily and'quickly attached to existing motor vehicles.

Another object is to provide such a'deflector which may be economically and easily manufactured.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a deflector which may be manufactured in a single size and which may be used in connection with substantially all of the present day standard vehicles.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a deflector which can be easily moved to permit ingress and egress from the rear motor vehicle seat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new and improved securing means for the deflector.

A further object is to provide such a securing means which is adjusted to compensate for motor vehicles of different widths.

A still further object of this invention is to i provide such a deflector which may be secured adjacent the rear of the front seat of the motor vehicle. 1

A still further object of this invention is to pro vide an anti-backdraft flap to prevent drafts upwardly in front of the deflector which would be objectionable to occupants of the front seat.

7 Claims. (Cl. 29685) Fig. 7 is a view taken substantially along the line l! of Fig. 3;

Fig. 8 is a view taken substantially along the line B8 of Fig.3;

Fig. 9 is a partial View of a motor vehicle em' almost completely unobstructed View as they ride and enjoy the feeling of openness. 'I'hese body styles are almost universally provided with a front windshield which deflects the oncoming air so that it is unobjectionable to occupants of the front seat but which subjects occupants 1 of the'rear seat'to numerous drafts due to the air currents whichit sets up. I am aware that,

others have provided additional wind deflecting means carried by the motor vehicle adjacent the rear of the front seat but such wind deflectors have been expensive tomanufacture and difficult to install in the motor vehicle and consequently have not been used to any substantial A still further object is to provide a wind deflector structure comprising two pivoted sections supported centrally of the vehicle.

Another object is to provide such a structure in which the central support is carried by the vehicle floor. v

Other objects of this invention will be apparent from the specification, the appended claims and drawings in which drawings:

Figure 1 shows a portion of a motor vehicle equipped with a wind deflector embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a view taken substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view taken substantially along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view taken substantially along the line -i4 of Fig. 3; p I Y Fig. 5 is a view taken substantially along the line 5--5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view taken substantially along the J line B--6 of Fig. 4;

extent. My present wind deflector is economical of manufacture since it is built up almost entirely of stampedor die cast parts which may be made cheaply in large production. Furthermore this wind deflector may, be made in quantities and applied to existing motor vehicles with a minimum'of effort and 'by persons having no exceptional skill.

Referring to the drawings by characters of ref- I erence, the numeral l designates generally a motor vehicle of the type known as a two door convertible which is provided with a front or drivers seat having the usual two separatepivotal back sections 2 and i and a rear seat 6, a

portion of which is shown in Fig. 9. Ingress andegress to the motor vehicle is accomplished through either a left-hand door 8 or right-hand door H) which isin g-eneralregistry with the I front motor vehicle seat. When "it is desired to obtain access to the rear seat 6, one or the other of the backs 2 or 4 of the front seat is pivoted forwardly over the seating surface of the front seat whereby persons may step through one of 3 the doors 8 or III past the front seat and into the space in front of the rear seat 6.

My Wind deflector generally designated I2 is positioned immediately adjacent the rear of the backs 2 and 4 of the front seat and comprises a right-hand section I4 and a left-hand section I6 arranged in wide V formation and having the adjacent end portions pivotally supported in a hin e member ,44 carried by a {30st 10, The post 25 is supported by means of a bracket 22 suitably secured to the floor by bolts or other suitable securing means. The opposite outer end portions of the deflectors I4 and Is are sesured to the side walls I8 and I9 rearwardly of the doors I and 8 by means of locking meohanisms generally designated 23.

Since the construction of each of the deflectors I4 and It is identical except that I4 is a right: hand deflector and I6 is a left-hand deflector, e ti teiieti hetttietiah h 991. the si see et I will be given.

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r 'n th 2te hinge membe i s t e eti to the b aehet arties. t hit theses ti screws 32 th it t he ttahthateht metetiel is ee r d to his rhehet hettie 3? h t theatre of e ew he t he hi t. hieh hfet -39 de h a dewhwe 'dlv eit h. wh h ,5 ee veti Wit iheh 'ar ih e eh h tu e 52 a femal hih h ihb l. hatin e ewh at l e e tiihe eehtte a eiith e 5 Whieh his e e t hhhh eht hi he Pest. d whieh may e eeeiiteti. hetete he tr means of set th r 4 The Pitt 4 s h e etehl at at. n le relat ve o the hext eh h the nethe $0; th the f ame .5. it et wettilr ti the sit e r i- A set. ee ew it t h e qesi. hh hee 4 r P tt whi h may e eht' eha v t e teneiihe ight-hand title? 9! the sieheetq It 15. P i ed i h h e hste tiahy Y-the. el htaeh t member Petti h 59. wh h it, ehhethh al he i -7h Pi9l te- Pr i e a channel fer eiv th ie thti ase 9 t e I-Xhhfi Pereht'sheet and a. hht ieh hi th lewet e e ei-f h ti'ehehete t. pane 2% the h h cured within the channel of the frame portion by means of screws 52 and 5 4. Thelower right-hand corner of the transparent panel 2 4 is cut away to permit a male memberSG of a bayonet-type locking pin to extend through and be journaled within the lower. right-hand corner of the frame portion 58. An upwardly opening channel member 5% fits OVQE the lower edge at the ehs ateht P nel and is I G IYQd at its on: h ite hd' he ft he with n he ttdi een portions. of the h m hertithe it the. ,0 the s held ere b m a the h ev eh lr me ti ed r w 3 m 54. It w he. ah ateht that i hee the ethe hi hh ei: h tr h eh iaue l thei te y around the Pane e theh h hereehh a this t era ly i heeeeeet and. nthis eh unwarranted, e ti he t at besides, heihs, pleasing to the eye.

hi t hiht hih In order that the frame member 50 may be anchored to the adjacent wall I3 of the motor vehicle and in a manner in which no stress is imparted to the deflector I4, I provide a bracket 60 having a lower substantially vertical extending portion 62 and an upper substantially horizontal portion 54 connected by means of a diagonally extending central portion 56. The bracket 60 may be secured to the wall III by means of screws 68 which may be of the sheet metal type. The diagonally extending portion 66 is ap'ertured to receive a base knob or lug I0 which enter tis substantially normally of the surface of the portion 66 and which is provided with a substantially semi-spherical surface I2 and a substantially planar surface I4. The base knob is provided with a threaded aperture 16 opening outwardly through the surface I4 and which receives a stud I8 which extends through an aperhire in e eek P ate er m 60 wh e is held, by he stud in adjusted pos tion w th res ec to h h te knob 10 a ains the su face 14- The leek plat 8. xtend e t a dl from the base no 0 an s pr vid d a ts u per end th a ba ne re iv ert re 8. wh h enmprises a substantially circular portion with dim tr e hhee t lj ext ndin ec s es or vins he ha het t hin Pin 8, ca ried. y he bayonet lock pin 56. In order that the bayonet eekihs in 34 they elathhihs ecure he hem pet i h o o t e ee Pla e the 9th lat s pr vi ed w h a th red uifiaee eadi g ou eth ii' ih ehe ur 8 o that as the k pin 56 is rotated in a counterclockwise direction t iewed in h s: 3 by me n o t e tt g nd 8 ie 2 e ht er eei t tight enga e will be produced.

Vertical adjustment of the post 20 is provided y m eh e the usual les op ef the members and tapering nut 91! and lateral and vertical adjustment of the lock plate 89 whereby the deflector I2 may be applied to motor vehicles of varying Widths and with the desired V angle between the deflectors I4 and I6. Changes in vertical dimension of the aperture 82 are compensated for by the vertical adjustment or the post 28 so that when the deflector I2 is assembled and adjusted there is no deformingstrain but the parts are in perfect alignment with each other.

In assembling the wind deflector I2 to the motor vehicle I, the flange 22 is first suitably secured to the floor of the motor vehicle im'- mediately backof the front seat. If the front seat is of the adjustable variety the flange 22 should be placed just rearwardly of the rearwardmost position of the front seat. The flange 22 is provided with a short upwardly extending conduit portion 92 which is split at its upper end portion and externally threaded forreceiving the tapered locking nut 96. The lower end of the post 20 telescopes downwardlywithin the conduit portion 92. The upper end of the post 20 is initially adjusted to a'position substantially level with the backs 2 and 4 of the front seat. The clamping nut 90 is partially tightened to prevent free movement but permits a frictional movement between the post 20 and conduit section 92. Thefen' ale hinge member 44 is then placed over the top endof the post lit and secured thereto by tightening the set screw 48 so that its two oppositely upwardly opening reee hhd 4.2 l e i a l ne. su t n ial y transverse to the motor vehicle. The assembled, deflectors I4 and I 6 are then assembled to the hinge member 44 as by inserting their. male hinge portions 40 into the recesses42 and 42a respectively. The deflectors I-4 and I6 are then placed at the desired angle with res-pecttoeach other and the brackets 60 are then secured to the respectively adjacentmotor vehicle .walls, I8 and I9. The stud I8 is loosened on the base knob I0 to permit swinging of thexlock plate into a position in which the bayonet receiving aperture 82 aligns with the lock pin 56 thereof after which the stud I8 is tightened to maintain the lock plate 80 in adjusted position with respect to the base knob 10 and the post raised or lowered to perfectly align thepin with the aper ture 82. The nut 90 is then'tightened to hold the post in adjusted position. Iffldesired additional adjustment may be made by thepositi'oning of the hinge member 44 by'the set screw When it is desired to make an ingress or egress from the rear seat -of the vehicle the appropriate door 8 or II! is opened and the appropriate one of the handles 88 is rotated' to permit the bayonet locking pins 84 to align with theenlargements of the aperture 82 and permit forward rotation of the wind deflector I4 or I6=up against the forwardly tilted back of the front seat as shown in Fig. 9. In this position of the front seat back and of the wind deflector, convenient access may be had to the rear seat for the ingress and egress of passengers. Of course after the ingress or egress has been made, the deflector is again rotated bringing the lock pin 56 through the aperture 82 after which the handle 88 is rotated to cam the lock pins 84 on the surface 86 to provide a tight securement for the outside corner of the deflector I4 or I 6.

In order to prevent back drafts up along the rear of the back of the front seat and in front of the deflectors I4 and I6, the deflectors are provided with flaps I00 and I02 which may be secured at their upper edges by snaps I04 to the lower edge of the frame 26. The screws 34 and 54 and an intermediate one of the screws 38 (not shown) may be provided with heads of the proper character for snappingly receiving the snap buttons carried by the flaps I00 and I02. These snaps I04 may be of any usual variety purchasable on the market and are consequently not shown in detail in this application.

In Figs. 10 and 11 there is shown a modified form of bracket 60a and means for attaching the lock plate 80 thereto. The bracket 60a comprises the upper substantially horizontally extending portion 04a and the lower substantially vertical portion 6211 connected by an intermediate diagonally extending portion 66a. The portion 66a is provided with a substantially semi-cylindrical outwardly extending boss I20 which is apertured as at I22. The base knob 10a is provided with a fiat surface 14a against which one end portion of the locking plate 80 is seated and held in adjusted position by means of the stud "I8. The base knob 70a is provided with a concave substantially spherical surface I24 which is of slightly less radius than the outer spherical surface of the boss I20 and seats thereagainst. A nut I26 is provided with a substantially semispherical surface I28 which is of slightly greater radius than the concave surface of the boss I20. A screw I30 extends through a lower central aperture of the base knob 14a and is screw threaded into the nut I26. Initially the screw I30 is left loose and after assembly of the wind deflector into the motor vehicle the screw I30 is tightened to provide an adjusted locked relation between the-base knob-14a and thebracket 60a. i What is claimedand is desired to besecured by United States Letters Patent is as follows:

1. An article for use with a motor vehicle having side Walls and a floor, a supporting post adapted to be secured to such floor at the rear of such seat and extending .upwardlyof such floor-to a point adjacent the top of such seat, a hinge block carried .bysaid post at its upper end and having a pair of vertically extending upwardly opening holes, *apair of hinge bracketseach having a vertically extending cylindrical pin, said pins being individually received within said holes, a frame carried by each of said brackets and extending outwardly therefrom toward respective adjacent ones of such walls, and having means to supporta wind deflecting member in a plane extending at an'angle relative to'the vertic'alja bracket carried .by each such wall and releasable means for individually securing said framesto respective ones of said brackets. I

2; The combination of claim 1 in whichaflap is'carried by one of said frames'and extends downwardly therefrom closely adjacent such seat and is cooperable withsuch seat to prevent updrafts between such seat and said one frame.

3. In an article of the character described, a supporting member adapted to be secured to the floor of a motor vehicle and including a hinge member, a pair of frame members adapted to support wind deflectors, each of said frame members being provided adjacent one end portion thereof with a second hinge member, said hinge members cooperating together to hingedly support said frame members, a pair of latching mechanisms each comprising a pair of elements, one of each of said pair of elements being solely and individually carried by a second end portion of each of said frame members, and arms pivotally secured to spaced portions of such vehicle for adjustably supporting the other of each of said pairs of elements for movement relative to such spaced portions of such vehicle, said pairs of elements of each said latching mechanism being partable for releasably positioning said frame members in such vehicle.

4. In an article of the character described, a supporting member adapted to be secured to the floor of a motor vehicle and including a hinge member and means for adjusting the height of said hinge member from such floor, a pair of frame members lying in a nonvertical plane and adapted to support wind deflectors, each of said frame members being provided adjacent one end portion thereof with a second hinge member, the mutually engaging portions of said hinge members being positioned in a vertical plane and cooperating together to hingedly support said frame members for rotation about a vertical axis, a pair of latching mechanisms each comprising a pair of elements, one of each of said pair of elements being individually carried by a second end portion of each of said frame members, a pair of securements adapted to be secured to spaced portions of such vehicle, an arm pivotally carried by each said securement, the other of each of said pairs of elements being individually carried by said arms, said arms and said height adjusting means cooperating together to permit installation of the article within motor vehicles of varying widths and with said frame members forming a desired angle therebetween.

5. The combination of claim 4 in which said securements each comprise a base member adepted to be individually secured to side walls of such vehicle, said base members each being provided with an outstanding lug, and said arms being adjustably carried on said lugs.

6. The combination of ciaim in which each said base member is provided with a convex boss having an aperture therethrough, each said lug being provided with a concave surface for receiving the said boss of the said base member with which it is cooperable, each said lug being pro vided with an aperture opening through its said concave surface, and a clamping member individually extending through said apertures of each said cooperating lug and base member for adjustably securing said lugs to their respective said, base members.

7. An adjustable support of the character described comprising a base plate having a substantially semi pherically-shaped surface por i n pr0 viding an outer convex surface and an inner 00ncave surface, a lug having a substantially semispherically-shaped surface portion, said lug D01- tions being concave and cooperable with said plate convex surface whereby they mutually cooperate to provide a universal joint, said base plate and said lug having aligned apertures there- 8 through which extend through said surface portions, a locking member having a convex surface changeable with said plate concave surface, and a clamping member extending through said apertures and acting to clamp said surface portions together with said lug and base plate in adjusted position, said aperture being larger than the diameter of the clamping member to permit relative angular movement or said base plate and lug.

CURT SAURER.

Referen s Cited in the die: of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,219,513 Wensinger Mar. 20,, 1917 1.515382 Willard Nov. 18. 1924 1.599.246 Ran er Sept. '7, 1926 2,499,136 Edlund et al Feb. 28, 1950 OREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 32.040 France Aux. 29, 1 27 36.68 Denmark Sept. 24, 1 2 458.063 Germany Mar. 29, 1928 608,104 France July 21, 1926 

